Sunday, October 3, 2010

You Say "Pumpkin," I Say "Kabocha"


I'd like to introduce you to my new autumn infatuation.  It was found in this week's Abundant Harvest box.  It's name is kabocha, or Japanese Pumpkin.  And it is gorgeous.  There were two tasty-looking recipes for kabocha in the ever-entertaining weekly newsletter from Uncle Vern, but I decided to make the season's first pumpkin pie with mine.  Normally, I don't really enjoy the smell of raw pumpkin, but when I opened this kind up (with my parents' fabulous Wusthof),  the most pleasant, cool, cucumber-ish smell filled my nostrils.  If there were a kabocha beeswax candle, it'd be my favorite.


Vern said you can roast the seeds just like normal pumpkin seeds, so I did, in a 350 degree oven with 1 Tablespoon coconut oil and 1 teaspoon celtic sea salt for 20 minutes.  If I were home, I'd probably soak the seeds in a brine overnight and dehydrate them to preserve the enzymes.


Kabocha seeds are thicker and meatier than regular pumpkin seeds.  My son adored them and proceeded to finish them off within minutes.


After baking the kabocha for about 50 minutes in a 350 degree oven, I pureed it in the food processor.  It's a lot thicker than normal pumpkin and there is no need to strain any water out.  One less step.  Hooray!


I used my favorite pumpkin pie recipe out of Nourishing Traditions.  My daughter pinched the crust for me (and I can't do a better job).


Don't forget freshly-whipped cream.  Glory.


Kabocha tastes like a mixture of pumpkin and yam or sweet potato, and you can pretty much use it in any sweet potato or pumpkin recipe.  There will definitely be kabocha growing in the garden next year.  I am in love.

DISCLAIMER:  My friend is already our area coordinator for what I'm about to share with you, so I don't make a penny from plugging this amazing family farm company.  Just sharing the love, folks.  Do you adore affordable, locally-grown organic produce that was picked the day before or the day you receive it?  Do you live in California?  Me too!  Sweet!  So you're getting the amazing Abundant Harvest Organic boxes as well!  No?  Why?!  They don't have a delivery spot in your area?  Oh, and you'd like to easily earn some money while helping others receive affordable organics?  Well then, become an area coordinator, already!  It is quite a stay-at-home-mom-friendly job, in case you were wondering.  You think the boxes are too big for your family to go through in one week?  Split the boxes with another family or two.  It's worth it, I tell you. 

14 comments:

  1. Love kabocha - and I love that your daughter helps you pinch the crust. How fun to bake together!
    xo, Sustainable Eats

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  2. I love it when I discover a new to me food! I don't even do pumpkin pie and yours looks delicious!

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  3. I came across your blog because I LOVE kobocha!! I just make a coconut dish with it this weekend. Feel free to visit my blog if you are interested. Not spamming you...I promise. =)

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  4. Kabocha is one of my favorite things to eat. I literally could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I usually stew it in a soy sauce-sugar combo and it tastes so much like sweet potatoes.

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  5. Yum. I have often seen Kabocha, but I've never seen them. Now I know what to do with them! :D

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  6. sounds SO YUM! and great pics!

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  7. I was turned on to Kabocha through Garden of Eating. It's used in their squash pudding pie recipe. Yum!

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  8. I absolutely love kabocha pumpkins. My mom usually cooks them in a mixture of soy sauce and sugar and it is fantastic. They really do taste like the best sweet potatoes ever.

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  9. I am just stopping by and the smell of that wonderful pie brought me in. Your photo's and recipe are great! Thank you so sharing with me.

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  10. Never seen it before but it is a cool looking pumpkin. I love roasted pumpkin seeds, by far my favorite part of fall.

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  11. I wrote you a comment and my computer came up OOPs. Thanks for linking this to MMM.

    I have never had kabocha but I like all the squashes so I am sure, I would love this, also.

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  12. KABOCHA!! I love it--are we mental twins or something-how great! I'm now pretty sure a kabocha pie is on the menu for tomorrow!

    Thanks for linking up to Just Another Meatless Monday, it's nice to have you here!

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  13. So I thought I bought a kabocha, and the flesh is really similar to a spaghetti squash! Is this how it is supposed to be? :)

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  14. So I can't seem to delete my comment - but I think that squash was going bad, I ended up throwing it out. However, I just roasted up a kabocha tonight and it is fantastic! I don't think I'll ever buy a pie pumpkin again as long as I can find a kabocha! The flavor is wonderful. I am soaking the seeds now and can't wait to try those too!

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